Monday, August 20, 2007

A story of an Iraqi

An iraqi male born in Baghdad in 1987 in a well-educated family.

At his early years of life he suffered blockage in his bowels and had to go through asurgical opeation in order to continue his life.

As a kid he was very naughty, he almost got himself killed several times, once by drinkingsome pure oil by mistaking it with water, once by burning his leg in an accident during thesecond gulf war, and another time by having his tongue almost cut into 2 pieces whileplaying in a place not proper for kids to play in.

This iraqi kid grew and opened his eyes to the world and witnessed the modern history of hiscountry and the stupid policies that destroyed his country and made his fellow countrymenflee the country.

As a kid in the primary school, this iraqi kid was taught to glorify his president SaddamHussain because he was the guard of the Arab homeland and he was the hero of the Qadissyia(First Gulf war), this iraqi boy grew innocently and followed what he was told from histeachers in school, this iraqi kid feared wars very much, so during the American attacks onIraq in 1998, he was very frightened because of the bombing and killing that took place inhis country in that time, so at the early years of this kid's life, he knew the taste of warand pain, and knew what its like to live under planes shelling.

After finishing his 6th grade of primary school, this kid made a score of 98% in hisstudies, and he wanted to apply to the best secondary school in Iraq, which is calledBaghdad college, he applied and went through a qualification exam, he passed the exam but hedidn't qualify to enter the school because of the increasing number of the student who gotprivate qualification to the school because some of them were sons of Bathies or ministersor their fathers were friends of saddam, so this kid lost the chance to enter the bestschool in iraq, anyway the kid went to another school which was famous of the bad behaviourof its students, this kid had to go through many fights with his classmates and arguments,because if he don't prove himself in a fight, he won't be respected in the school and hewould become the biggest loser that gets his ass kicked everytime.

this kid graduated from that school at the year 2003 and went to the Alnidahmiyah highschool which was one of the respected schools in Iraq, this kid lost most of his friends inthe school before this one, because he went to a school far away from his home, and most ofthe students of his previous school went to the nearest high school to their houses, so thiskid went to this high school with having absolutely no friends at this school.The kid made a lot of friends at his first year and was happy with his new high school and the life he was living, until the end of his first year at that school, the kid had to leave school and stay at home because the war was on the doors, the Howasim war as how it was named by his president.

The war took place and the kid stayed in his house with his family and several of his relatives that came to stay in his house until the war ends.The kid was very delusional, he dreamed of a new iraq, new progressed iraq, he dreamed of Iraq having freedom and prosperity. The war began and the kid had several talks with his older brother who was the source of wisdom and advice for this young kid, his brother described to him what could happen to iraq if iraq can lose Saddam Hussain, he told him that a new government would be formed, and an election would take place, and Iraqis would elect the proper government, that would take up this country from hell and bring back the dignity of this country and its position between the world.this kid had long nights of darkness, and sitting on the lights of candles talking to hisbrother about the future of his country, and what will happen while gambling and playingpoker for what he and his brother had saved of snacks and drinks, because all the storeswere closed and there were no sources for those stuff.

After less than a month since the war started, The kid, his brother and parents were shockedwhen they opened the tv with their hidden setelite and saw on the news that the Americanforces had enterd Baghdad suddenly. they were the first people in their street to hear aboutwhat happened, the kid went out to the street and saw the Bathies and the police still inposition and carrying their weapons and standing in the street, the kid thought that maybethose soldiers still don't know that Baghdad was invaded several hours ago, he was afraid toopen his mouth and tell his neighbours about what has happened. so he decided to go back tohis home and see what will happen next day.

At the dawn of the next day, the kid was awakened by the sound of tanks and war vehicleswhile roaming his neighbourhood, and witnessed the war that took place between the Americansand some of the remaining Bathies and Arab fighters who were still in the neighbourhood, thewar took about 6 hours, and the kid was frightened by the sound of explosions and his housewas hit by some of the American helicopters which were shooting randomly, after this smallwar has ended, The kid and his parents and the neighbours saw the American tanks andsoldiers in their street, and at that moment the kid knew that the eon of Saddam hussain hasended.

The kid had several talks with his older brother about the siuation in iraq at that time andwhat will happen, and he was shocked by his uncle reaction when this kid waved to theAmericans when they entered his street, his uncle shouted at him and said "how can you waveto the occupiers, wait and see what they will do to our country and how will they rape ourwomen and kill our children", the kid neverminded to his uncle and continued dreaming of thenew iraq.

After few months of nothing changed in iraq, a group of resistance was formed in hisneighbourhood, and wars began to take place in his neighbourhood, the first roadside bombplanted in iraq was planted in this kid's street against the Americans.Days and days went on in this kid's life with his planted hope of a new iraq, but the factis that his dream is getting far away from coming true, the expolsions increased, theinnocent lives were killed for no reasons, but the kid's dream and hope was still in hisheart.

The kid enterd his college life, and he was accepted at the pharmacy school in Baghdad, thekid had dreams of being a pharmacist in iraq and that he would live in peace again, he wasstill hoping that life can continue, even with the random explosions taking place everdayeverwhere, but still life can go on and that the kid can still have his own dreams and plansfor his life until Feb. 2006 when Alaskari shrine was attacked in Samarra, the kid witnessedwhat can religion do to his country, he witnessed how sunni mosques were burned by shiitepeople as a reaction to the attack on the shiite shrine, and he witnessed the segregationbetween his fellow countymen, the kid finished his first year at college and travelled toJordan hoping that when he come back the situation would be better.

In Jordan the kid was adviced by his friends that he should stay in Jordan, and that heshould forget about iraq and his beloved Baghdad, and that he should forget about the dreamplanted in his heart. The kid refused and insisted on going back home.

In Oct. 2006 the kid went back to Iraq with his hopes of a better situation than thesituation before, but he was shocked of the worst situation than that when he left, thesituation was very bad, militias were everywhere, secterian violence became a very normalthing, killing for secterian reasons became a habbit, mortar shelling has become a newtechnique of militias to kill innocent people. The kid was very disappointed for what hiscountry ended up to, and how his united people were seperated and divided because of stupidreasons and for stupid benefits, and the kid witnessed the foreign interferenece of theneighbouring countries and their role in dividing the iraqi people, the kid couldn't standthe situation and wanted to leave this country that he lived in for 19 years and that heloved more than anything, the kid tried to get a visa to New Zealand with the help of hisnew zealand friend but his pursuit didn't end the way he wished for.

The kid went back to his college and decided to continue his studies without taking intoconsideration the dangers and threats of going to his school which was located in a shiitenighbourhood and being an easily sunni target for militants to kill him, he wanted to finishhis studies.

Days went on, and the kid lived in a country dressed by death and smelled blood, the kid gotused to losing friends who got killed either by explosions or getting killed by militias ordied because of mortar shelling, The kid got used to waking up and finding unidentifiedcorpses lying scatteredly in the streets, The kid got used to the hatred planted in hiscountrymen hearts, a sunni's hatred for shiites and a shiite's hatred for sunnis, The kidgrew angry and sad because of what war has done to his country, The kid couldn't wait untilhe finishs his studying year and flee the country, the kid wanted to flee the country hewished to return to, because it was impossible for him to continue living in this country,even an animal would flee the country he was living in, the kid finished his studying yearand left the country the next day.

The kid travelled to Jordan via plane, the kid witnessed the humiliation of Iraqis in theArab countries, specially Jordan, he saw how iraqis where treated with disgust by Jordanianauthorities, and being sent back to iraq because the Jordanian intelligence didn't liketheir looks or their names, shiites were nearly impossible to enter Jordan, and it wasn'teasier for sunnis either.

The kid saw the suffering of iraqis living in Jordan, they suffered of not havingresidencies in Jordan, and they feared getting caught by the Jordanian authorities andgetting thrown on the Jordanian-iraqi borders, the kid saw the humiliation of iraqis in theJordanian ministry when they were trying to extend their residencies, the kid grew angry andhated everything, and wanted to leave Jordan desperately but he was faced with the fact thatthere's no place else to go to, the kid was very sorry for what happened to him and toiraqis and was heart broken for what happened to his country, the country in which the firstcivilization in the world was formed in to end up like this, he was sorry for his countrymenthat are not accepted anywhere in this world.

The kid was sorry because of the American policies that got him to this point, and that madeabout 3 milions of iraqis vagabonds, the kid blamed everyone for what happened to him, heblamed the American administration, he blamed the iraqi government, he blamed the Arabcountries, he blamed Iran, he blamed Syria, he blamed Saudi Arabia, he blamed Iraqis, heeven blamed Saddam Hussain for going through that war.And the kid remained on blaming everyone, and on blaming the world for not consideringIraqis as Humans.

The kid kept on Saying "We are not accepted anywhere in this world, we are not accepted evenin Iraq, where shall we go?????""

Nabil, my offer to you is still open. If you send me the details with which I can complete your application form to the ISIS college in Greenwich, I will pay the deposit and arrange for the letter that you need to accompany your application for a UK student visa.

I am also trying to get through by telephone to the British Embassy Amman visa section (the number is engaged at the moment), to find out what payment methods are possible.

But I can't do anything without, first, your enabling me to submit your application to the ISIS college.

You MUST stop seeing yourself as a "kid" with no role to play...Your own narrative has all the answers you need if only you could wake up some of your countrymen...

The American soldiers are, for the most part, "kids" the same as you...

They have left hearth and home, friend and family, NOT to occupy your country, but to FREE it...

But freedom cannot be delivered like a box of pizza, and MUST be fought for...

Every great movement of mankind began with the spark of a single man's soul. The power of the Iraqi people lies strongest amongst your peer group.

If you can find your counterpart, preferably a shite (if you are sunni) and forge a friendship that can see past the tit for tat sectarian strife, and look towards a future of freedom where THE PEOPLE run the country.

Then build on that friendship by finding like minds, who perhaps also feel lost and alone...

Don't tolerate "insurgent" groups that kill one sect or another out of vengeance, or to make a political statement.

Stand up as group and claim your birth right from those who would tear you country apart.

I know you see the Americans as occupiers, but do you honestly believe your country has LESS chance now to claim it's birth right..?

The moment you stop seeing yourself as a bystander, and take positive action to acheive that dream of freedom that is in your heart, you will begin to make a difference...

NO country on this earth has achieved freedom by standing by and waiting for it to be delivered... Too many evils exist to prevent it from being that easy.

Your blog has an amazing quality. I hope that you can continue to be safe and that your family and friends will be safe also.

sorry about the weird responses above. I can't imagine people doing that. You might want to consider putting an approval process to your comment section so that you can remove the "Crazy" comments.

Anyways, I truly hope that you can complete your studies in spite of the humiliations you have to endure in Jordan. I have Persian friends in a similar position, here in the Philippines (where I study), studying to become dentists (maybe you can come here, the teaching is in English, and they have many health related courses like Pharmacology, etc.). They are studying here because the Ayatollah and Adminijad and their government has made life in their country miserable. They too, hope for a day when they can return to their country and be free from all the problems of a police state.

Sometimes I hate my government for their ways, too. I sometimes feel that Americans should stay out of the politics of the world. We create more problems than we solve. I have met a few "Iraqi Americans", and they are wonderful people, and were good friends and coworkers.

I wish you the best of luck. Sorry for all of your problems and I hope you can return to your country free and happy, once again. (and come to America to see how wonderful some things are, here)

That it can not be delivered to a people that stand by as spectators and await the outcome...

Like it or not, the people must take the freedom for themselves...

Mankind has a way of setting himself up with various factions that can't see eye to eye over a multitude of things. Whether it's Black v White, Muslim v Jew, Insert v Here, man is an expert at pulling himself apart.

There is very few examples of successful Nations that exist with their populace killing each other over these differences... That's just a fact.

Nabil's peer group has power they have yet to claim...They are young, educated, and numerous...They know via community or family ties many of those who perpetuate the sectarian strife. The tit for tat vengeance motivated lunacy, that if one looks closely and honestly enough, is just a puppet dancing on strings operated by a puppet master that does NOT care for the people themselves...

So you see, while it may not be a Disney film, it does have a puppet...

Indigo, I do hope you can help this wonderful young man. If ever a kid deserves some luck in life, it is young Nabil.I only wish I could fly over to Jordan and scoop Nabil up and bring him safely back to Australia.I will keep my fingers crossed that Nabil can get to Greenwich.

Why would he want to go to Anbar? That's like telling someone who grew up and lived in New York all his life to move to the Rocky Mountains and live with Red Indians or rednecks. Plus, they don't welcome outsiders over there, even though you may think that just because he's Sunni they'll let him settle there.

You will enjoy England, Nabil. The infidels there are soft-headed, degenerate cowards who are easily intimidated. They will pay you the jizya without any objection and will do anything, no matter how humiliating and cowardly, to avoid giving offense to any Muslim. In fact, you can even torture and kill them at will with little or any consequence.

The above poster is correct, Nabil. You may abuse, assult, rob, or rape an English infidel at will. The infidels are unarmed, are forbidden to defend themselves, and are too cowardly and intimidated to come to the aid of a fellow infidel who may be under attack.

Just be sure to wear appropriate Muslim garb (a prayer cap is sufficient) and to shout "Allah" periodically to ward off any scolding by the police.

Remember that Allah has ordained that Muslims are always to dominate and not to be dominated. The English infidels are sheep and welcome their Muslim overlords.

Please ignore the retards that posted those critical and frankly cowardly comments. Their biggest worry in life is deciding what brand of hamburger to stuff down their fat faces; they know nothing of hardship or suffering. Inshallah they will learn some day, and become human.

Hi, Nabil, I have paid the course fees deposit to ISIS (the letter from them to support your visa application will be sent to you by e-mail as a .pdf). I have also e-mailed you with some help on filling out the visa application form.

I have been living and working in Baghdad for the past 16 months and will be leaving next week for good. I am one of those overpaid Department of Defense contractors, or, as some would call me, a “war profiteer.” Yes, I have profited. I am out of debt and have money saved. But it has cost me. I am a changed man. I have become hardened. I almost feel like a zombie.

Although I work in Baghdad, I have no idea what Baghdad looks like. ... The majority of my co-workers are Iraqi, and every single one has been deeply affected by the war. Everyone knows someone who has been killed or kidnapped, whether a family member or a friend. It’s a daily occurrence, and they feel helpless, frustrated and, of course, very sad. Those that had the means have gone to either Jordan or Syria. The others are trapped. No country wants them.

Every day, the Iraqis risk their lives to come to work because they have no choice. The average salary is $300 a month, and many of them are supporting large families. Some of the Iraqis I work with just live in the building we work in rather than risk going home every day. ... Most Iraqis feel that they will indeed be killed, whether by the Sunni militia, the Shiite militia, the American Army or a car bomb. They live in constant fear. Could you imagine having to live like that? And why are they suffering so terribly? Because we are giving them freedom. Freedom is something that I fear the Iraqis will not have any time in the near future.

It is with a heavy heart that I leave behind my Iraqi friends. Their lives are absolutely horrible, but they have to keep moving every day to survive. Every day, as they leave for home, I always wonder if it will be the last time I see them.

We have made a mess of Iraq, and the Iraqis, who just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, are the ones that are paying the price. ... For the Iraqis, freedom certainly isn’t free: They are paying a heavy price for it.

Hi, Nabil, by 5.00pm London time ISIS had not yet sent the letter so I telephoned them, and the clerk said that "something had come up" (I expect that she actually forgot) but it was now top priority on her list.

It is now 5.30pm London time (usual going-home time for office workers), and the letter still hasn't arrived. But I will keep nagging the ISIS clerk tomorrow.

Hi, Nabil, I have just received your e-mail transmitted 21 August 2007 14:07, saying "Hi Rachel,I'm sorry to inform you about this, but please cancel everything, my parents didn't agree for this.Thank you very much for your helpI really appreciate it. Best, Nabil"

OK. I hope your parents have a better idea. Please tell them that I will lose 100UKP (ISIS will only refund 50UKP) which I was prepared to risk doing - 100UKP is equivalent to my food costs for about a month - but snubbing people does mean that fewer people will feel able to risk things to help you.

I will wait two days (ie until Friday morning, London time) before cancelling your registration with ISIS, to give your parents time to weigh up the options that you all, realistically, have. People of your generation are the future of Iraq, and your top priority is to stay alive. Your family members may have to disperse in the short term in order to be together in the long run. There is nothing humiliating about accepting help in a desperate situation - and, if you do, one day you will be able to help someone else.

Nabil, by the way, if your parents are worried about you being "in moral danger", please assure them that I have been making arrangements for you to rent a room in the house nearby belonging to a friend of mine who is a man in his 40s from a very old and noble English family (he himself is an international expert adviser on the environment).

OK, my last word on this today. I am upset - not by the prospect of losing 100UKP (which would have bought me food for a month) but - by the rejection of my sincere offer to help Nabil escape from Hell. However, is as the case the world over, you cannot help those who do not really want to be helped - or who think they can be "choosy" and dictate terms. The danger is that, if one is too choosy, one day there are no choices left.

Now I must get on with earning my living and somehow replacing that 100UKP.

Don't you think that it is Nabil who should have obtained his parents' permission before giving me the information to fill out his application form etc etc. I also let him know, some time ago, that if I paid the deposit on the course fees and then he didn't go ahead with it, I would lose 100UKP.

I am looking forward to being able to crow over you, too, sometime soon.

My conscience is clear: I stepped up to the plate, I was prepared to put my money where my mouth is, I knew the (small) risk I was taking. I am not blaming Nabil; he has survived so much, and it is beyond imagining what living in a country under occupation and over-run by terrorists does to undermine your self-confidence and trust in things possibly being able to get better. Now, even if Nabil gets scooped up and deported by Jordanian police, I know that I did my best to save him.

All I can say is wow. I was almost convinced that someone was using your screen name. I am amazed that there is a realist hidden somewhere deep down in your psyche. Grab on to that, you might need it from time to time.

Indigo,I'm sorry if you feel that it was a childish behaviour of me by telling you about my parents refusal, but you see, my parents primer concern is for me to complete my studies and they said that there will be no chance for me to complete my studies in England (i.e. lack of money).so it will not change anything whether I went to England or not.thank you

Nabil, I don't think you were being childish; you are being dutiful to your parents, as is expected in your culture.

I was prepared to offer help from my network of friends, help with accommodation, and pay your airfare to London, all to help you continue to live and improve your English and gain time to look at other possibilities. But I am not offering any more money - sorry, if that is all you wanted.

He's not asking for more money, Rachel. His parents want him to complete his studies, and they recognize that he will almost certainly not be able to do that in the UK because the cost is prohibitive. He is merely reiterating their very rational reason for not accepting your offer. Your offer to help him come to the UK for 6 months' study of English was well-intentioned, and I'm sure they appreciate your efforts, but you should not be surprised that their priorities are not quite what you perceived them to be.Bridget

Indigo,Its not that I want money from you, its about my future in England, I meant that my parents can not offord my studies in England thats all, I'm not underestimating your genuine offer for help, so without having the ability to offord the fees of my studying in England, I see no point in going through this.

What was/is Nabil's escape fund for if not to "pump prime" things like college fees?

The ISIS college fees for six months - during which Nabil (on a UK student visa) would have been permitted to earn money by working at a part-time job (which would be good for his English as well as for his self-esteem) - are just over 1,000UKP. Depending on what sort of job he did, he might have been able to earn that much inside two months. While meeting other nice people, including members of his own family based in the UK, perhaps even a nice Iraqi girl, all the while being in absolutely no danger of being blown up or shot or deported.

Anyway, I don't understand Nabil's parents' decision but I did my best.

Bridget, show me where I have said that Nabil should become an English-teacher. I haven't.

English is the world's lingua franca, for better or for worse. Nabil can become a pharmacist but there is no rule in the world that says he has to qualify before he is 20. Being fluent in English is an enormously powerful "transferable skill". (So is being fluent in Arabic, of course.)

@Nabil, 11:14 PM And I'm sorry for your 100UKP I wish I can return it to you

If you were sincere about that, Nabil, there is a way to return it to me very easily. You could ask Zeyad to send 100UKP (which is about 200 US dollars) from his PayPal account to my PayPal account (see rachel@kittiwake.co.uk) which I use for buying and selling on eBay (my eBay ID is kittiwake2003). I could then fax and then post to Zeyad the ISIS college receipt I was given for the deposit.

Vietnam, where the US fought for 10 years and lost nearly 59,000 American lives - and still lost. Had to withdraw by evacuating the last troops by helicopter from a besieged roof-top, because the US left Vietnam too late. The US in Vietnam opened the door to Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge genocide.

The war in Iraq has lasted longer than the First World War. America has been fighting in Iraq for longer than it fought in World War Two.

Rachel,When you asked for information from Nabil to fill out the application, I believe you neglected to mention that there would be a 100 £ non-refundable fee. I certainly do not recall Nabil asking you to advance that sum on his behalf.Considering the circumstances, I think it's a little much for you to be pushing him to indemnify you for having jumped the gun there.

You did something noble, but you are now making yourself seem small. The money is gone and I feel certain you will not starve over 100UKP.

You are starting to sound like that paper boy from "Better off Dead", running around after John Cusack's character screaming "I WANT MY TWO DOLLARS!"

Oh, and this statement is bar none one of the dumbest I have yet to see you make:

Vietnam, where the US fought for 10 years and lost nearly 59,000 American lives - and still lost. Had to withdraw by evacuating the last troops by helicopter from a besieged roof-top, because the US left Vietnam too late. The US in Vietnam opened the door to Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge genocide.

Here is why, although I will pay for things like college fees deposit and airfares, and perhaps some winter clothing, I won't give money. When Zeyad appealed for financial help for his course at CUNY, Jeff Jarvis posted on the web an open spreadsheet of donations received which he kept updated. Some, like Lynnette I seem to remember, preferred - understandably - to send their donation direct to CUNY. Zeyad has not followed Jeff Jarvis' professional example in this.

When I started a separate PayPal account for Nabil, I ran into a lot of flak in this comments section; then Nabil's father suggested that I move everything to his account in Jordan. Now, as everyone here knows, the Middle East is a tinderbox, and if I transferred money to an account in Jordan I would have come to the attention of the security forces in the UK. So I transferred everything to Zeyad (I can copy to anyone who wants to have it the e-mail I sent Zeyad, accounting for everything received until then and showing the PayPal commission deduction.) Since then, nothing has been reported on how much kind people have given or what it has been used for. If that happened with a "good cause" in the UK, people would be asking hard questions.

It's Nabil's choice, really. Baghdad is not only trashed and the whole country in uproar but, thanks to the US depleted uranium weapons, radiation readings there are reported to be 2,000 times the safe level. That means cancers and birth defects (as was caused by Agent Orange in Vietnam, after the Americans departed). If the US attacks Iran, there will be riots in Basrah and other Shia-majority areas (I trust the Brits will be long gone by then).

Lee C 1:00 AM asserts, When you asked for information from Nabil to fill out the application, I believe you neglected to mention that there would be a 100 £ non-refundable fee. I certainly do not recall Nabil asking you to advance that sum on his behalf.

Look, two brain cells: you don't see e-mail exchanges between Nabil and me. Here is an excerpt from my e-mail to Nabil and Zeyad dated 30 July 2007 14:50, you can either give me the information to fill in for you, or complete it yourself (in which case you will need to be ready to pay the UK pounds sterling 150 deposit online). If I complete the form for you, I can pay the deposit in cash and then ISIS can give me a letter for you to take to the British Embassy straightaway. If the deposit is paid in any other way, then you would have to wait until the payment "cleared" through their bank. (If you did not enrol here, after all, only UK pounds 50 would be reimbursed to me.)

TB 1:20 AM You did something noble, but you are now making yourself seem small. The money is gone and I feel certain you will not starve over 100UKP.

I didn't mention reimbursement until Nabil did. I decided to call his bluff because I am not a "mug". (Until persuaded otherwise, I believe he was bluffing when he wrote in this comments section - see 11:14, above - that he wished he could return the 100UKP to me.)

It's about a breach of faith, 100UKP is as good in my pocket as in that of ISIS, and believe it or not to me 100UKP is a "sacrificial" amount. I wish now that I'd given it to a homeless person in a London street, or to a member of my family (one of my brothers has just been diagnosed with leukaemia and may welcome assistance with private medical treatment), instead. It would have done more good that way.

"Bridget 2:36 AM: do you know what your donations are being used for?"

No. I specifically told Zeyad that my gifts are made with no strings attached, that I completely trust his judgement. They are in desperate straits, and I will continue to try to help them out even if some of the decisions they make are not the ones I think I would make.

"[Y]ou don't see e-mail exchanges between Nabil and me. " Here is an excerpt from my e-mail to Nabil…" etc. "Go and eat crow, Lee C."

I'll not be looking for a fork just yet. But, that does bring up a point I'd decided to not make in public. Two points, three actually… 1. It was fairly unsporting of you to suddenly take things from e-mail to the public forum. To my eyes this is nothing more than an attempt to coerce Nabil by embarrassing him publicly. This was your way of “turning up the heat”. 2. We should presume that if you actually had an e-mail from Nabil telling you to go ahead and make the payment and he'd reimburse you later, you'd have used that here. 3. Ergo: You don't have the e-mail referred to in point two, and what happened is that you jumped the gun and now you're trying to get reimbursed for your mistake from Nabil.

Yes, I understand the difficulties with Jordan. That's why I said If he could finish his degree there. And in reality it would be restart his degree program there, as he has stated that the credits earned in Iraq won't transfer there now. I think the fees run about the same for Syria and Egypt as well, so there are possibly those options.

As to your questions about how much money has been received, I certainly don't have a clue. Last I heard it was $4,400 for Nabil. That was awhile ago too. As to what they will do with that money, I don't know either. Like Bridget, whatever I have sent is a gift. *shrug*

Yes, I remember your mentioning that about his father requesting the transfer of money into his account in Jordan. And I wondered about that, too. But there could have been different reasons for that. Some of which I could completely understand, so I didn't question that too much.

As Bridget said, they are in a very bad position. Granted, they are probably better able to weather it then most in Iraq, but still a poor position.

I wonder if they have considered trying to immigrate to Canada as a family?

Very insightful and interesting interview with journalist and author Nir Rosen on Democracy Now, 21 August 2007: Iraq Does Not Exist Anymore

Among other things, Rosen believes that

* the current crisis will bring down the Jordan government;

* Baghdad will never be in the hands of Sunnis again. ... Sunnis are basically being pushed out of Iraq, period. ...

* there won’t be any more elections in Iraq;

* there will be Mogadishu in Iraq: various warlords controlling small neighborhoods;

* Iraq is destroyed, and this will spread throughout the region, and this will destabilize Syria, Lebanon and Jordan, as well.

Note also for any Iraqis reading this: Rosen says that one of the factors that prevents Iraqis from getting visas, for example, if you’ve paid a ransom. Many Iraqis, virtually every family I know of, have been victims of kidnapping. If you pay a ransom to release your relative from kidnapping, according to the US government, you have materially supported terrorism, and therefore you can be prevented from obtaining a visa to the US.

"It never harms to help someone, even if you doubt their integrity. Better to be free with the benefit of the doubt than to be too closed up. Just never give more than you can afford to lose, and point out that if you are not repaid, you will not be able to help the next needy person you meet. Leave it to their conscience."

Funnily enough, Nabil and I are both Scorpios. Not that I believe all that stuff, no-o-o-o, not me ... :-)

Nabil, that was a very good post. I'm a little bothered by one part, though:

"After few months of nothing changed in iraq, a group of resistance was formed in hisneighbourhood, and wars began to take place in his neighbourhood, the first roadside bombplanted in iraq was planted in this kid's street against the Americans.Days and days went on in this kid's life with his planted hope of a new iraq, but the factis that his dream is getting far away from coming true, the expolsions increased, theinnocent lives were killed for no reasons, but the kid's dream and hope was still in hisheart."

That seems like it was before the events that served to justify "some people's" pre-existing hatred towards the US, and opposition of Iraq's liberation. You know, the events that people list in a single paragraph to try to cast the entire effort poorly: abu Ghraib, Haditha, Muqdadiya, Mahmoudiya, etc.

So, when the first bomb was planted, did you warn anybody? Did it go off, and "just" kill Americans, or did it kill your neighbors too? It seems so tragic to look back on your optimism and hope back then, yet when the fishes tested the waters to see if they could swim in the sea, the answer may have been silence.

Are you people totally insane? At least Indigo is smart enough to not throw good money after bad.

These are Arab Muslims with which you are dealing. It is fundamental to their beliefs to deceive and cheat the infidels. Everything they say is a lie. They will steal every penny they can get their hands on.

So poor, pathetic Nabil wants to study Islamic Pharmacology. Isn't that special? Everybody should send him (and his entire family, including his worthless brother Zeyad) lots and lots of money for that purpose.

Just what constitutes the Islamic Pharmacopeia? Let's see:

o Black seedso Honeyo Camel urineo Zamzam water

Anything else?Oh, yes, the holy urine of the Prophet Mohammed, but that's currently unavailable.

I suspect we can blame those last two, fairly disgusting, posts on Rachel advertising her predicament on Zeyad's blog. It seems to have attracted the repugnant asshole who goes by the screen name “Realist” on Healing Iraq. (Not to mention having attracted the ersatz “Italian” a bit earlier.)

Indigo why in the world are you documenting everything that you to help here on this blog? Why? Why can't you just email him and keep it private? Maybe his parents don't trust you because you are an attention whore. His family may or may not be religious but in the Middle East people don't advertise all of their "help" every step of the way. You're a freak.

An Iraqi man saved the lives of four U.S. Soldiers and eight civilians when he intercepted a suicide bomber during a Concerned Citizens meeting in the town of al-Arafia Aug. 18.

The incident occurred while Soldiers from 3rd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, were talking with members of the al-Arafia Concerned Citizens, a volunteer community group, at a member’s house.

"I was about 12 feet away when the bomber came around the corner," said Staff Sgt. Sean Kane, of Los Altos, Calif., acting platoon sergeant of Troop B, 3-1 Cav. "I was about to engage when he jumped in front of us and intercepted the bomber as he ran toward us. As he pushed him away, the bomb went off."

The citizen’s actions saved the lives of four U.S. Soldiers and eight civilians.

Kane felt the loss personally because he had met and interacted with his rescuer many times before the incident.

"He was high-spirited and really believed what the group (Concerned Citizens) was doing," Kane said. "I have no doubt the bomber was trying to kill American Soldiers. It was very calculated the way the bomber tried to do it. If he hadn’t intercepted him, there is no telling how bad it could have been."

Kane believes the citizen is a hero.

"He could have run behind us or away from us, but he made the decision to sacrifice himself to protect everyone. Having talked with his father, I was told that even if he would have known the outcome before hand, he wouldn’t have acted differently."

"I spoke with the father," Gilbert said. "He said he has no remorse in his son’s death because he died saving American Soldiers."

Later that night, the Concerned Citizens group contacted the local National Police director, Lt. Col. Samir, with the location of the al-Qaeda cell believed to be responsible for the attack. The National Police immediately conducted a raid that resulted in four arrests.

Despite the citizen’s death, Gilbert is encouraged by the cooperation between citizens and the Iraqi National Police.

"The effort of the Concerned Citizens group has made the area much safer," he said. "They are proud of who they are and their area, and want to get rid of the terrorists in their area."

Gilbert also praised the Iraqi National Police’s role in eliminating insurgents in the area.

"The cooperation between them and the Concerned Citizens has been key," Gilbert said. "The NP has done a great job of responding to the tips they have been given by the group."

Gilbert said he believes the area is improving because of the efforts of local citizens. The death, while unfortunate, demonstrated how close many in the area have become with the American Soldiers operating there.

"I consider many in the town friends, and I know they feel the same," Gilbert said. "This is a tough situation, but we’ll move on and try to prevent things like this from happening again. I’ve talked with his family and told them how brave their son was. This is a huge loss for everyone involved."

It's my belief that this citizens group has the idea right.

Now just imagine (if you can) a grass roots movement that takes this approach rather than running away and bemoaning the unfairness of it all...

Somehow, I think you'll fail to see the true value that spirit of standing shoulder to shoulder would have, not ONLY for Iraq, but for the Mid East in general, and ALL humanity at large...

Some concepts are just too BIG for some to grasp...

So while you worry yourself silly over your lost pocket change, consider the sacrifice that some are willing to make for the concept of FREEDOM...

To the others - losers, narcissists, CIA-propagandists, American cannibals and psychopaths - may you all eventually have a taste of the bitter "freedom" you brought to Iraq. (Freedom from life and joy, from hope and contentment; freedom from electricity, from education, from security.)

Lynnette In Minnesota,Hi thanx for the advice but can you tell me how can I apply to Canada or Australia???I heared that they aren't giving visas to iraqis plus we can't apply for immigration because both of my parents are over 55 years old of age.

@Catholic Sunni Shia 10:24 PM said You don't do good deeds publicly and then document them each step of the way it is completely tacky.

Yeah, better to be like you: not do any good deeds at all.

And paying a sum of money that Nabil did not ask her to pay

That's where you are wrong. Nabil knew that I would have to pay a deposit before ISIS would issue a letter to support his visa application, and that only 50UKP of that deposit would be returned to me if he cancelled his application.

and then asking for the money from his brother who is trying to make ends meet in New York is also completely tacky.

Not tacky to ask for reimbursement (which I didn't mention first, Nabil did but only as an empty gesture) when one's goodwill has been cavalierly taken advantage of.

Iraqi Jew 3:51 PM, When one does a Mizvah one must keep quiet about it. The more secret the Mitzvah, the more effective it is.

I am a Christian, not a Jew, so your doctrine does not apply to me.

I now have other priorities, such as preparing to be a bone marrow donor for my own brother, to save his life. I won't discuss it here because this is Nabil's blog. Any Christians looking in here: please pray for my brother (I believe in the power of prayer, so evidently it doesn't make sense - if you want people's prayers - to keep secret that which you want prayed about).

I was prepared to do a lot to help Nabil (and persuade my network of friends and contacts to help him too) but, it seems, he does not want my assistance. That's fine by me - supporting him like this for six months would have cost me a lot more than 100 UKP.

After what happened to Suz, I knew a firestorm would break out here as soon as I started doing something practical to help Nabil and his family (in addition to having written Nabil a testimonial to support his application to NZ, months ago). So am not surprised or fazed by being attacked by those who can't deal with their own feelings of guilt and schadenfreud.

Must go now, lots of stuff to do. Meanwhile, in occupied Baghdad, daytime temperatures are around 150 degrees; there are three hours of electricity (if that) for fans and fridges; no water; rampant disease; starvation; radiation at 2000 times safety level (thanks to US use of depleted uranium weapons); and a generation of traumatised children. It can only be a matter of time before the brutal dictator US President (who, by the way, cannot tell the difference between Vietnam and Cambodia) instructs his military, Vietnam-style, to "save the village" by destroying it.

Indigo you misunderstood the meaning of Miztvah.It is not a prayer. It means a good deed -(charitable action). Mitsvahs are always better if they are done anonymously.""

As does the Teachings of Christ:Matthew 6Giving to the Needy 1"Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

2"So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 3But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

"Feb. 2006 when Alaskari shrine was attacked in Samarra, the kid witnessedwhat can religion do to his country, he witnessed how sunni mosques were burned by shiitepeople as a reaction to the attack on the shiite shrine, and he witnessed the segregationbetween his fellow countymen, the kid finished his first year at college and travelled toJordan hoping that when he come back the situation would be better."

Did the kid not notice that that Hussayniyas (Shia mosques) and markets where Shia shop were being blown up before Feb 2006? Surely the kid must have read or heard about all the Shia kidnapped and murdered before Feb 2006. If this kid is smart enough for college, he undoubtedly read about the busloads of Shia who were stopped (and murdered) between Baghdad and Nejef - that happened often before Feb 2006.

Iraqi Mojo, I think maybe you are the stupid one.Coz I don't care about who the fuck are being blowen up, I don't care if they were fucking shiites or fucking sunnis, I only care about them being iraqis.God, when will you iraqis lose your secterian mind, fuck islam along with sunnis and shiites, if you were a true muslims you wouldn't care about being a sunni or a shiite, but you do seperate between them because thats what your benefit tells you to do.so screw you and screw islam with you.Islam will never rule us.and if it did then expect more blood shedding.

"Coz I don't care about who the fuck are being blowen up, I don't care if they were fucking shiites or fucking sunnis, I only care about them being iraqis."

But Nabil, you write as if the Shia killed the Sunna (burned their mosques!) after Feb 2006. Like your brother, you ignore what happened between 2003 and Feb 2006. Oh wait, you don't ignore it!

You covered the period 2003-Feb 2006 with this:

"After few months of nothing changed in iraq, a group of resistance was formed in hisneighbourhood, and wars began to take place in his neighbourhood, the first roadside bombplanted in iraq was planted in this kid's street against the Americans.Days and days went on in this kid's life with his planted hope of a new iraq, but the factis that his dream is getting far away from coming true, the expolsions increased, theinnocent lives were killed for no reasons, but the kid's dream and hope was still in hisheart."

But then you go on to explain that after the bombing in Sammarra, "sunni mosques were burned by shiitepeople as a reaction to the attack on the shiite shrine"

Apparently you do care who's Sunni and who's Shii when it's the Shii killing the Sunni. You are like your brother and so many Sunni Arabs - you have a very difficult time blaming the Sunni Arab terrorists who've been ripping Iraq apart since 2003 and long before that. Maybe you should read The Shia Revival by Vali Nasr to learn about the persecution of Shia, and not just in Iraq. shit I wouldn't be surprised if that book is banned in Amman.

Anyway, Nabil, don't be so sensitive. I just like to point out the bullshit that Arabs often try to feed their audiences. Most of the time it's non-Iraqi dumb fvcks who have a hard on for Saddam, but sometimes I shocked to see Iraqis saying and writing the darndest things, leaving out the most important details. I guess I shouldn't be shocked.

Nabil, I'm sorry you didn't get to live in Iraq before Saddam dragged her down. If you think Iraq was a great country before 2003, you should have seen it before 1980 - for me THOSE were the good old days.

Alaa over at the Mesopotamian was able to get into Canada with his family. Maybe he would have some advice to give?

I am not sure how old Alaa is, but I don't think he is that young. Why is the fact that your parents are over 55 an issue? Other than that it may be harder to find work? Although considering your parents skills they may be able to find work in Canada. We have older people coming here all the time, btw.

Zeyad should be checking into some of this. He has done some good networking, I think.

Iraqi Jew,

Why wouldn't it bode well?

I was alluding to the global climate change issue. Australia could be hit pretty hard if some of the more serious scenarios come to pass. The infrastructure on the coastline would be damaged if there were any of the massive flodding they are talking about. But maybe even more serious is the lack of water. *sigh* I don't mean to be a nag about this. But it is something that would affect so many people around the world that I can't help but bring it up whenever I get a chance. It is even more serious than what we see happening in Iraq.

Rachel,

My neighbor's grandson had to undergo a bone marrow transplant this past year. It was a long and painful journey for him and his family. Thankfully he is doing very well now. I will keep your brother in my thoughts and wish the same for him.

Iraqi mojo I think you are being too harsh on Nabil. His was an ordinary apolitical Iraqi family trying to live their lives - they are now being singled out by another sect because they happen to be sunni - not because they are Baathi. I can relate to that - as my family and other Iraqi Jews were also trying to live our lives and were also singled out because of our religion. I can relate to Nabil's situation. Look at the Iraqi Christians - another apolitical group - who are also fleeing in droves.

That said, I'll pray the good Lord and St. Michael the Archangel to smite you presently: because, with this latest stupid prank against Nabil and Zeyad, you have done your very best to bring the anti-war, anti-American imperialism cause into disrepute.

I do agree with the Jew and some Anonymous: Rachel/Indigo, be sensible, and just disappear from now on !!!

To anonymous'"So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. ' What the hell are you implying? Please explain.

anyway, nabil, why is it that England is too expensive, but Canada and Australia aren't?if you are in jordan now, and relatively safe, just stay there. You will find little "savings" in canada or australia vs. england. (or any other western country for that matter)

I'm not implying anything my friend, other than to correct Indigo when she said giving privately didn't apply to her, because she was Christian, and your advice was not a doctrine she followed. I only wanted to point out the verse in the New Test that deals with EXACTLY the advice you were rightly giving her...

Personally, I don't see the words as being a slam towards Jews, only about hypocrisy in any form... A warning, if you will, that when we give to "be noticed" or "to be a hero" we have left the path of wisdom...

Trumpeting our "good deeds" in order to gain recognition shows a spirit within us that is less than genuine regarding truly helping our fellow man... And it is done more for our own reputation or benefit, rather than the true spirit of giving...

OK, I didn't want to have to spell it out but .... part - all, even - of the reason why I "trumpeted" my attempted "good deed" for Nabil after he had asked me to cancel everything was to alert other would-be helpers to the possibility of losing their shirt. Nabil asked me to cancel everything after an exchange of several e-mails and being given the information to register Nabil on the course.

I was trying to say, obliquely (but evidently too obliquely for some people here), don't give more than you can afford to lose altogether and see gone for nothing.

The thing that is holding up Nabil's application to NZ just now is that NZ asks for a medical and police certificate (this applies to everyone, not just Nabil). Unfortunately, the ministries that would have been able to furnish such certificates no longer exist in Iraq. I was thinking that, if he came to England for six months on a respectable course, not only would his English improve, and he would be safe, but at the end of his six months I would probably be able to obtain medical and police certificates from British authorities for him which he could then send to NZ.

Joaquin 10:19 AM if you are in jordan now, and relatively safe, just stay there.

If you read what Nabil himself has written, you will see that he cannot obtain official permission to remain in Jordan. Having outstayed his first two weeks, unless anything has changed he can be scooped up and deported back to Iraq at any hour of any day.

"[N]abil, why is it that England is too expensive, but Canada and Australia aren't?" 10:19 AM

Available resources and what are called "opportunity costs” need to be considered. England is 2,000 £ (or maybe that was $2,000 American) for six months at that one tech school. That makes for either half or all of Nabil's “escape fund”. He's looking at Canada or Australia for a more permanent, “resident” visa; does make more sense to consume his limited resources for that.

Indigo said... "[P]art - all, even - of the reason why I ‘trumpeted’ my attempted ‘good deed’ for Nabil after he had asked me to cancel everything was to alert other would-be helpers to the possibility of losing their shirt." 1:49 PM

So, you figured to make a public service announcement, as it were, warning people to not be helping Nabil? Isn't that wonderfully magnanimous and public spirited of ya? I am just so very impressed by your intention and motivation there, to burn Nabil in public, but, all in the “public interest”, of course. [not]

Rachael, is it not obvious that poor, pathetic Nabil wants not your "help" but rather your money? Also, of course, you are an infidel (and a female infidel to boot) so his sick Arab Muslim culture dictates that he lie to you, humiliate you, dominate you, and rip you off.

As far as the "certification" required for him to collect the jizya in New Zealand is concerned, the solution is quite simple. He requires only one piece of paper stating that he has none of the usual disgusting Arab diseases and another piece of paper stating that he engages in none of the usual savage and perverted behavior characteristic of Muslims.

Just how hard do you imagine it would be for Nabil to bribe a couple of his noble, freedom loving compatriots to provide such documentation?

Wise up, Rachael (and the rest of you too for that matter). He is playing you like a fish - and a particularly naive and stupid fish at that.

"the reason why I "trumpeted" my attempted "good deed" for Nabil after he had asked me to cancel everything was to alert other would-be helpers to the possibility of losing their shirt"

That's a very odd way of looking at things. Had you given your gift with a truly generous heart, one that seeks only to help, not to dictate, you would have been able to handle this unfortunate situation with the grace, love, and forgiveness that constitute true charity.

Nabil, hi. I am so happy to come across this blog thro' BBC. You are truely a fascinating young person. I really marvel at the level of tensions that all of you live with in your country. Best thing I realised is that at no point you sound anti-Iraq, neither do your friends. That is a great sign. If and when the glorius past of Iraq will come back, it will be because of people like you.For me I live in Mumbai, India. In fact a news item said today that number of casualities in India are only second to Iraq in the whole world. I was surprised. Because we are such a huge country, we don't realise it. Carry on Nabil and take care.

@arun 10:35 AM, a news item said today that number of casualities in India are only second to Iraq in the whole world.

Yet India has never pre-emptively attacked any other country.

I was surprised. Because we are such a huge country, we don't realise it.

Er, I don't think that's why. Isn't it more likely that people find it safer "not to realise" things like that about the (state-sponsored) "Salwa Judum" civil militia. Peasants are forcibly recruited, villages are emptied, the land is not cultivated, and people starve. "Salwa Judum" has killed many left-wing political activists and peasants under the pretence of the so-called counterinsurgency campaign.

I am in no way trying to turn this into a climate change forum, and I openly acknowledge that I am a believer in protecting our shared environment in a sensible manner. That said I am also a skeptic of what has become a the religion of crisis formerly known as global warming, are you seriously suggesting that Australia is imminent danger from rising sea levels/negative impacts of climate change?

Imminent? Honestly, I don't know. But some scientists are talking about possible permanent climate change by 2050 as the result of global warming. In Australia's case it is the lack of fresh water for drinking and irrigation that is a major concern.

Actually, I felt as you do for the longest time. That it was an overblown scare tactic. But I started looking deeper into the research done and I find myself agreeing with those who say it is a major concern. Because I see in real life things they have talked about in books. I don't just mean hurricanes. I mean things I see here in Minnesota. We have been experiencing some extreme weather swings here. Yes, I know, that may seem normal for Minnesota, but believe me, not like this. Some of my relatives here who still do a little farming say the same.

If you are really interested in this I recommend the book "The Weather Makers" by Tim Flannery. Unlike "An Inconvenient Truth" by Al Gore, I think it does a better job at bringing forth more hard evidence.

Having said all that, I must say that nobody can know for sure. But I think it would be in our best interests, all of us that is, to take the possibility of global climate change seriously.

One thing I've noticed is that, although both Zeyad and Nabil have been given thousands of dollars from around the world, they have never once to my knowledge said "thank you" publicly. What's up with that? Does "Arab honor" preclude admitting that you have received funds from others?

It must be nice to have cash-flow from around the world and never having to lift a finger to earn it.

It sounds like some of those those idiots in Iraq who were complaining after the first week of Saddam's ouster, "Where's our paradise?!" It looks that, for now, they're happy just to take our cash.

And, of course, the more that Americans help our Iraqi friends the more those Iraqis like Zeyad will resent having to accept the cash and thus increasing their hatred of Americans. Just another day in the Arab Parallel Universe.

It comes from angling (fishing with a baited hook on a line). Refers to catching a fish that is either strong enough to break the line and escape, or “soft-mouthed” enough that an attempt to drag it in by brute force would tear the hook loose and allow the fish to swim off (albeit wounded in the mouth, but swim off nonetheless). So, ya set the “drag” light enough that when the fish tries to run, it drags the line out of the reel and goes a ways away, but tires itself out dragging the weight of the “drag” setting. When the fish is sufficiently tired out ya can reel him in without a fight and without losing the fish. The back and forth that occurs while the fish is getting tired out is “playing the fish”.

In fact, they DID enjoy getting invaded. Zeyad smiled and waved to the Americans riding on Abrams and Bradleys as they moved into Baghdad.

I love envious, OLD WORLD (really OLD and decrepit) guys like Italiano. Too bad, baby, you're NOT an American.

Meanwhile, at the IAAF World track and field competition in Japan right now, our medal count just keeps getting higher. 26 countries have earned medals so far, with Americans leading the way -- of course -- and guess how many medals the Italians have earned so far.

ZERO.

Hah hah hah.

Jesus, even countries like Bahrain and Slovenia have won a medal already. What the hell are you Italians doing all the time?

No kidding. In my family one brother-in-law is from Nigeria and another is African-American and so several of my nieces and nephews have a variety of skin-tones. Are we "brown people," then, in Rachel's eyes? Anyway, we're all Americans. I guess because there are also people from Asia in my family Rachel would call them "yellow people."

Besides being a skin-flint, it looks like she's a classic racist, too.

Well, I kind of expected to see more of a feeding frenzy here after my last comment. It was a little mean spirited of me to point that possibility out in public. Even after everything Rachel has said here and over at Zeyad's.

Rachel,

I am sorry if I hurt your feelings. It was the end of the day and I had had my fill of the smear campaign that is being waged by you and others against my country. However, you do take your political viewpoints over the top into areas that are questionable to say the least.

Suz,

Lee is right. I do not make offers unless I have some assurance that I will be able to fulfull them. Just another reason for Nabil's parents to be cautious of offers made over the internet.

The former chief of the general staff said the approach taken by Donald Rumsfeld, the then US defence secretary, was "intellectually bankrupt" ... "All the planning carried out by the State Department went to waste," he writes. For Mr Rumsfeld and his neo-conservative supporters "it was an ideological article of faith that the coalition forces would be accepted as a liberating army. ... He and other senior British officers were opposed to the Pentagon's decision to disband the Iraqi army after Saddam's overthrow, a decision he says "was very short-sighted … We should have kept the Iraqi security services in being and put them under the command of the coalition."

About the Bush/Blair lies that Saddam could attack the West in 45 minutes: "We all knew that it was impossible for Iraq to threaten the UK mainland. Saddam's Scud missiles could barely have reached our bases on Cyprus, and certainly no more distant target."

Answering the perfidious Americans who are "briefing against" their UK allies, Sir Mike last night defended the record of Britain's military deployment in Basra. ... "What has happened in the south, as throughout the rest of Iraq, was that primary responsibility for security would be handed to the Iraqis once the Iraqi authorities and the coalition were satisfied that their state of training and development was appropriate.

"In the south we had responsibility for four provinces. Three of these have been handed over in accordance with that strategy. It remains just in Basra for that to happen."

Slee-C, exactly why do you feel that playing the voyeur online (and a self-delighted controversy-starter / flame-fanner) for year after year is superior to someone investing countless hours per month of TIME, CARE AND ATTENTION coupled with extensive energy and resources into trying to help someone deserving - IRL?

oh, because the aforementioned description doesn't just encompass Lynette. It sums up you.

Of course, you're a little more crass and perverted than Lynette, but the substance is the same.

You've both been here for years and yet how many times have you invested hours of your time writing applications, letters, lobbying and trying to find ways to facilitate Nabil's escape?

How many $1500 phone bills have you incurred? How many hours have you spent in lines at the Immigration department? How many petitions have you organised?

I'm sure based on PeteS's logs and an average typing speed we could work out how many hours you've spent slinging mud at everyone and doing fuck all to help Nabil, by comparison.

"The news is almost all bad, although there are some bright spots, principally in the Kurdish north where the security situation is better and the overthrow of Saddam Hussein has meant that Kurds and Turkomen can at last get public education about their ethnic history and in their native tongue."

Just a stylistic note. Your use of multiple emoticons and excessive number of question marks make you look like a teenage girl. Who knows? Maybe you are a teenage girl. Italiana?

The World championship just ended today in Osaka, Japan, with convincing American domination. For the American track and field athletes: 14 gold, 4 silver, and 8 bronze medals. The next two closest rivals were Kenya with 5 gold and Russia with 4.

My typing speed is rather above average. And the point was your tendency to congratulate yourself in print for making promises you can't keep. I notice that you are still practicing that habit here. Even after getting called on it, you just carry on as if it's perfectly normal behavior. Utterly amazing.

Right, so you didn't start any petitions, didn't find any accomplished pro bono lawyers, didn't spend any hours in lines or on the phone or organising anything, and yet, here you are again, talking shit about it.

And your only defense is that your typing speed might mean you spent less hours talking shit and doing nothing to help than might otherwise be assumed.

Speaking of which…The lawyer was handling Nabil's application for a visa. So, technically, the lawyer represented Nabil, not you; you weren't even paying the bills as there were none. Therefore, if you sabotaged the visa application when it became apparent that you'd pissed off most all the potential contributors and you were going to have to come through on that promise to pay the costs yourself, then the lawyer would have to tell Nabil that if Nabil asked.Is Nabil aware of this? Does he know how to contact that pro-bono lawyer and inquire about what really tanked the visa?

Lazy Lee, your memory is playing you tricks. And your suggestion that Suz "sabotaged" Nabil's visa application is nauseating. He is still in with a chance of moving to NZ. I know a bit more about this than you do, and the stage has been reached when Nabil has to do something himself to progress the visa application. It is actually something that no one else can do for him - otherwise, I am sure that Suz or I would have done it straightaway.

I was inquiring ‘bout whether Nabil understood that the lawyer actually worked for him not for Suz, and whether Nabil knew how to contact the lawyer directly, and that the lawyer would be obliged to answer his questions. I was not soliciting speculations about Nabil's “future”.However, I do notice that you are quite quick to lay off any “blame” for the lack of success in obtaining the visa on Nabil.

"Nabil has to do something himself to progress the visa application."

And this in spite of that fact that nobody has inquired about that aspect of the situation.

we have been asked to go away, get some info and come back to the ministers office. how you imagine that that means the process has ended is beyond anyone.

probably using your same logic that you, who haven't lifted a finger to help N get to NZ, is somehow entitled to repeatedly attempt to ridicule those of us who have done EVERYTHING to help him. And you do this on his blog no less!!!

Perhaps you do so by the same logic that led to any number of other completely ignorant and idiotic delusions of yours.

if you were even SLIGHTLY up with the play at all you would know that N & S share a lawyer in this, and that S's family (who live less than one kilometre away from me and who I have seen IN PERSON on no less than three occasions per week for the last 4-5+ straight months) have been across the progress every step of the way. As has Nabil.

UNLIKE YOU!

(cos funnily enough you're not actually a part of the effort loser?!??)

World's most productive workers? Tell it to China. Watch them revalue their dollar and let's see you crash and burn.

Oh, but your military will save you. You can just, I dunno, fly planes into a few of their buildings right? Start some more shit? Oh, you can't? You've been bogged down for four years in one small country? Makes it a little difficult to take over the world huh?

And now Rudd's about to get in?

There's gonna be two countries left in the "Coalition Of The Willing"... The United States and America buddy.

But at least you'll have some completely fraudulent and talentless, totally manufactured music to listen to! You know, the kind where the band members didn't meet each other til the day of the audition? And then got taught the 10 tracks that had been pre-written for them, so that they could learn them well enough to lip sync them on TV?

You can listen to them on iTunes but don't download their stuff on Napster! And quick, do it fast before they regulate the internet completely.

And don't get caught or they'll be suing your Mom for 300k!

Perhaps you could write your local Republican Senator about that but chances are he's out soliciting college boys.

It might hurt to say it but you've got to admit - Science was invented before America. Funnily enough the one career path you don't hear about American's historically fulfilling is Reknowned Philosopher.

And everything you've done since you were created was physically on the backs of slaves and immigrants, but hell, without your making them do the work then none of this wouldn't been possible so you'd just like to thank God first and foremost and then your family right???

But, my question was/were: Does Nabil understand that the lawyer works for him not for Suz?Does Nabil know how to get in contact with the lawyer to make his own inquiries directly and not through, and filtered by Suz.

I'm sure the intentions of both Suz and Indigo, in this case, are good. They wish to help Nabil and this is a very humane and commendable thing to do if it's in ones power to do so.

I havn't read this blog for long enough to know anything about Suz alledgedly patting herself on the back for helping so I'll not comment on that. But the comments from Indigo above are beyond tacky. Losing £100 trying to help how big a disaster is that, really? You tried to help, it didn't work out for some reason, you lost a relatively small amount of money, get over it!

If you feel a need to tell Nabil that he did wrong by not being 100% certain wether to go on with his visa application you should tell him in private.

If you really think he should reimburse you (which I find hard to beleive) - tell him in private.

Telling your "tale" here to spare others the misfortune of losing their money by trying to aid Nabil and then lashing out against those who havn't yet given assistance, what's up with that? You do not exactly inspire more people to aid when you moan and wail about a lost £100 you know.

And everything you've done since you were created was physically on the backs of slaves and immigrants, but hell, without your making them do the work... Suz

My dear Suz, slavery was abolished quite some time ago. In fact, we fought a war over it.

As for immigrants, there are millions who seek to come here. There is no need to force them to do anything. They are some of the hardest working people around, because they very much want to make good in their new country.

Anonymous said... "who I have seen IN PERSON on no less than three occasions per week for the last 4-5+ straight months"

Milking some free babysitting out out the deal, Suz?

Dear cowardly anonymous, actually, I pay them extraordinarily well (more than institutionalised daycare) and the situation has been highly beneficial for both them and for us, for a number of reasons. Thanks for smarming, I mean, asking.

Lee C. ― U.S.A. said... But, my question was/were: Does Nabil understand that the lawyer works for him not for Suz?Does Nabil know how to get in contact with the lawyer to make his own inquiries directly and not through, and filtered by Suz.

Actually, your SUGGESTIONS were

a) that Nabil had no chance of coming here

b) that I had deliberately sabotaged his case to prevent him from coming here

c) that N's lawyer, unlike every other lawyer in the world, doesn't leave a paper trail and can therefore somehow have her actions (or lack of? depending on which piece of lunacy Lee is going with) covered by me, for malicious reasons, and prevented from reaching Nabil.

Having already disproven a), which nullifys b), I will now point out (as anyone who is actually involved already knows) that N has up to date copies of the entire papertrail you fucking idiot!

God sometimes I wonder how it must feel to be Nabil and reading this. Fat American no-good lowlife can't-get-off-his-ass-to-help yet criticises-every-effort-made-by-anyone sits here in judgment of something he knows nothing about, for the sake of his own warped entertainment.

You have blogger now Nabil. You should ban this fucking asshole from your blog.

Dear Suz, I'm afraid you are being too optimistic.Nabil, like his elder brother (and even more than him), is very tolerant, so I'm afraid he won't bash evil and disgusting critters such as Leecy.Come on, Nabil even allows the stinky Rat Schuster to comment!That poor deluded varmint Jeffrey, practising his comical attempts at a pissing contest here, LOL !

[Lynnette] "slavery was abolished quite some time ago. In fact, we fought a war over it".

As any third-grader in primary school is supposed to know, your Civil War or War of Secession was NOT fought over slavery, but about States' rights, especially the right to secede ...So, dear Apette from them thar woods, why do you lie in this way with a straight snout ?Don't you realise, my sweet Beastie, that in this way you further destroy your credibility ???

"Bridget, I would stop harping on about descendents or we'll start working out whose descendents were on what side of that war"

No need to bother your brain with the unaccustomed excercise. I'll gladly tell you. As far as I know, I didn't have any ancestors in that war, as they were all starving in Ireland at the time. They were among the immigrants who came later and on whose backs, brains and energy my country was built.

suz, I am an Iraqi American who escaped Saddam's horrors in 1982, when Riverbend's father was no doubt doing Saddam's bidding and grew rich from it. We didn't have the luxury of taking whatever we wanted with us (one suitcase for 4 kids), and we couldn't tell the world about it - our parents didn't tell us kids we were leaving the country until the day we left, because they didn't want anybody to know - they were afraid the Baathists in our neighborhood (one particular family, really) might suspect that we wanted to escape, which was illegal. Saddam's govt was kind enough to allow my mother and us kids to go to England because my sister was diagnosed with diabetes - she needed better treatment, but it was just an excuse to leave the country, and they didn't allow my father to go with us. I remember that night very well - my mother started crying before entering the airport because she didn't know whether she'd see my dad again - two of my cousins (my dad's nephews, much older than I) had already been executed and my dad's family was under suspicion of being against Saddam's govt. My mother's cousin's entire family was put in jail because one of their sons fled the army the year before. We are Shia, and what we were doing was very risky. My mother had to smuggle as much money as she could in her panties - taking excessive amounts of money with you meant that you weren't coming back, and that was illegal. Still, the money that we had in the UK didn't last long. I remember after a couple of months we started rationing our food - I kinda doubt Riverbend's family has to do that.

My father was able to join us a few months after we left. We were very lucky. Many Iraqi families were not as lucky. My father's best friend, an educated, courageous and most kind Sunni Arab, was executed in 1985. Read my first post to learn more.

I'm sorry that Riverbend and her family have to leave Iraq, but they are very very lucky compared to most Iraqis.

IA, I can't figure out why the big secrecy surrounding Riverbend's family's departure. Iraqis are leaving the country and returning in droves on a daily basis....so why did her family deem it necessary to sneak out in the dead of night with only one suitcase each?

Bridget, that is indeed strange, especially since many people have been expecting her departure for a long time now. I have heard that the Iraqi government has not allowed Iraqi doctors to leave the country. Could her father be a doctor? I don't know.

That's the 'we' that stands for Americans, Suz. We're(there it is again) always changing and trying to make improvements where we can. Abolishing slavery was one of them.

Texas was a slave holding state at one time, yes. But we don't hold that against them. It is in the past. Every state has it's share of skeletons in the closet.

I'm not quite sure what your point was?

RE: Riverbend

Many Iraqis have had to leave their homes. It is sad, yes. But I do not find Riverbend's story any sadder than others in that position. She and her family are better able to handle it then others, I suspect.

She was no doubt fleeing authorities. It's not like she ever hid her baathist sympathies. With the insurgency effectively over,Riverbend and her family have tossed in the towel. She'll probably end up in the U.S.,along with the rest of the Iraqi anti-American crowd. They hate the U.S. so much they just have to live here.

mojo, you seem to have missed my point. which is that all iraqis have had the shit end of the stick, be it in saddam's time or now, and dividing that pain along sectarian lines, or measuring the tragedies against each other as you seem to be doing, helps noone.

my sympathy is not scaleable. iraqis are iraqis, and all of them are suffering.

i find it difficult to believe that most of the baathists were baathists cos they thought it would be fun, or a way to make some cash. nor do i believe that their offspring, especially female offspring, deserve less sympathy for their suffering in their lives, which they didn't choose, but had thrust upon them.

Good point, suz. It was not Riverbend's choosing to be part of a Ba3thi family. I'm just surprised by the reaction to her post. Many people, like you, seem very saddened by it. I don't blame you - she is a good writer, and I'm sure that her family, as Sunni Arabs in Baghdad, have felt the pressure and fear of attack by militias and the sectarian police. But Riverbend's family has not been attacked, have they? Have any of her sisters or cousins been beheaded because their relatives fled the country?

I'm not saying that you should have less sympathy for her - that is the way you feel, and it's good of you to express your support and sympathy for people who are experiencing such difficulties. I'm just pointing out that the sympathy seems to be lopsided - it seems odd in the grand scheme of things, especially when we consider what the Ba3thi elite did to Iraqis before 2003, and the death and pain that many other Iraqis have experienced since 2003. and I doubt she and her family will have financial troubles, wherever they go. Many Iraqi women in Syria have turned to prostitution to support themselves and their families - that seems to be a greater tragedy than Riverbend's. I'm making assumptions here - her family is rich, no?

Anyway, I hope she and her family stay safe and God bless all Iraqis who must endure as refugees in a foreign country.

Iraqi Mojo said... I'm just surprised by the reaction to her post. Many people, like you, seem very saddened by it. I don't blame you - she is a good writer, and I'm sure that her family, as Sunni Arabs in Baghdad, have felt the pressure and fear of attack by militias and the sectarian police. But Riverbend's family has not been attacked, have they?

There is no way for us to answer this question. Riverbend's posts are months apart and that alone is telling of the turbulence of the situation. This is someone who had a career, and lost it. This is someone who is now only seen in public in a long skirt and headscarf. Is her life easy or hard? Have her family had a CD in their letterbox showing people being murdered and tortured and told that they had 24 hours to leave their house? That is happening to other people. People very close to Nabil and I.

Have any of her sisters or cousins been beheaded because their relatives fled the country?

The manner of the death of anyone she or her family have lost is not known to us. But the likelihood of them not having lost someone by now is virtually nil. They would have been under mortar attack for months. They would have witnessed bombings, whether through hearing them or seeing them. They would have experienced power blackouts etc. They would have felt petrified at the thought of leaving their house. They would have felt constant fear for their friends, family, home, country, future...

I'm not saying that you should have less sympathy for her - that is the way you feel, and it's good of you to express your support and sympathy for people who are experiencing such difficulties. I'm just pointing out that the sympathy seems to be lopsided - it seems odd in the grand scheme of things, especially when we consider what the Ba3thi elite did to Iraqis before 2003, and the death and pain that many other Iraqis have experienced since 2003.

I think you confuse the total number of people who were actually Ba3thi elite terrorising the population.

and I doubt she and her family will have financial troubles, wherever they go. Many Iraqi women in Syria have turned to prostitution to support themselves and their families - that seems to be a greater tragedy than Riverbend's. I'm making assumptions here - her family is rich, no?

Her family just left with their lives in four suitcases. Whether they WERE rich and whether they ARE rich now are different questions. Few families in Iraq are rich - far fewer than were in that time for sure. War is profitable for companies but expensive for people caught in them. For gods sakes, Riverbend had a career. Now she doesn't. Nor do many others. Shia and Sunni.

Anyway, I hope she and her family stay safe and God bless all Iraqis who must endure as refugees in a foreign country.

Yes, unfortunately the future for them is still uncertain and they are by no means at the end of the struggle.